"In Etruria in the 30's you couldn't see across the street because of the smoke and the smog. It was impossible to hang washing out, as it would soon be covered with soot... "
Derek lives with his son in Thistlebury. With an open view at the front of house, he can see Silverdale Church and the Staffordshire Hills. He plays golf and enjoys working on the odd crossword or two.
This story is about a small part of my life, growing up in Staffordshire. It is intended to show my defence of the county I have lived in all my life.
In my early life I lived in Etruria. My Dad sometimes had to carry his three children to school one by one, particularly if it was raining. Our shoes were mended with cardboard, two steps in the rain meant wet feet for the day. My brother Gordon and I ran errands for the local shopkeepers. We were paid in kind because we were too young to be employed legally. Sometimes they gave us a piece of scrag end of mutton or some sausage that had been in the window all day and had gone brown on one side. In Etruria in the 30's you couldn't see across the street because of the smoke and the smog. It was impossible to hang washing out, as it would soon be covered with soot. In 1938 when I was ten my dad got his first regular job as a clerk involved in the building of the Swinnerton munition factory. Because it was too far to travel daily he found a lovely cottage in Hanchurch. The air was so rich we couldn't keep awake. It was soporific. That first winter in the countryside, we had a heavy fall of snow, which drifted. I can remember walking down a lane on top of a hedge which had been completely buried. Every now and again the snow gave way and I fell through it. Living in Hanchurch gave me a passion for the Staffordshire countryside. A lot of people still think of Staffordshire as all smoke and grime. I have defended my county of birth vigorously, pointing out that within ten minutes drive of the Potteries I could be in countryside withour peer. Without leaving the boundaries of the Borough I can visit Apedale Country park. From the hill there I can see the City, the Moorlands beyond Leek, Mow Cop, the hills at Lightwood and on a good day, part of Cannock Chase. I bought my house in Thistlebury thirty five years ago. I am so in love with me surroundings that I frequently get in my car and just drive around the area. No matter which direction I take, I am happy. | 
